Automobile air hose assemblies are used to pass air through a primary airflow passage between the engine air filter and the engine. Such a vehicle air hose assembly sometimes includes an intermediate coupling that joins a sensor housing to the primary air hose of the assembly intermediate the ends of the air hose. The airflow coupling provides a secondary airflow passage through a sidewall of the primary air hose and in communication with the primary airflow passage. For example, engine exhaust gases are recirculated into the primary airflow passage leading into the engine via a turbocharger.
The sensor housing typically includes a sensor related to pollution control of the vehicle. To insure the sensor housing is not removed from the intermediate coupling, the sensor housing is typically spin welded to the primary air hose at the intermediate coupling. In this way, the sensor housing and the primary hose are permanently fused together at the intermediate coupling. This prevents unauthorized tampering with the sensor as required by applicable emissions regulations.
There are several disadvantages to the spin welding coupling solution. For example, spin welding requires specific spin welding equipment and a related additional spin welding station and process. As another example, it is necessary that the features being spin welded together are large enough to enable them to be held and spun relative to each other, dictating that these components are relatively large. In addition, the spin welding process often generates small plastic particles that are left inside the primary hose. Because the hose assembly is downstream of the air filter, there is nothing to prevent these particles from the spin welding process being picked up in the airflow and ingested by the turbocharger and engine.
The automobile air hose assembly with a one-way quick snap coupling for a sensor housing described hereinafter has a simple push-on quick connect coupling. No special equipment nor additional complicated process or steps are required. In addition, no plastic residue is generated for the engine to ingest. Further, the size of the components can be provided in a much smaller packaging space. Yet this simple, quick snap coupling is tamper resistant because it is one-way or permanent. In other words, once assembled together, attempted removal of the sensor housing will damage the coupling assembly, providing evidence of such sensor tampering.